The Crew started addressing its most pressing need by agreeing to a contract with veteran Major
League Soccer defender Tyson Wahl yesterday.

Wahl, 28, will add depth to a back line thinned by offseason departures and could compete for a
starting spot at left back.

“Tyson is a guy that is solid and very good physically,” Crew coach Robert Warzycha said. “He
can be deadly on set pieces, and he can get up and down the field. He has experience, and that is
what this team needs.”

Wahl was traded from Seattle to Montreal before last season. He made 11 starts for the expansion
Impact before being traded to Colorado in July. He made four starts for the Rapids and has played
in 86 MLS games since he was drafted by Kansas City in 2006. His best season was 2011, when he
started 22 games and had a goal and two assists for Seattle.

“I’m coming in with an open mind,” Wahl said. “It was a funky year last year, and I want to
hopefully put some roots down (in Columbus).”

Terms of the deal were not announced, per MLS policy. Wahl’s option was declined by Colorado
last month, and he was not selected in the MLS reentry draft, allowing him to sign as a free
agent.

Wahl said he was surprised to not be selected during the reentry process. It prompted him to
take stock of his career last month.

“It was a gut shot,” Wahl said. “I got pretty honest with myself about how I can help a team.”&
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Wahl is left-footed and built a reputation as a skilled set-piece taker in 2011. He was paid a
base salary of $65,000 last season.

The Crew did not renew the contracts of defenders Sebastian Miranda, Julius James, Nemanja
Vukovic and Carlos Mendes after last season. The team attempted to rework the deals of Mendes and
Miranda, but Mendes signed with the minor-league New York Cosmos and Miranda is expected to return
to his native Chile.

But the Crew has ample salary-cap space and is continuing to pursue defenders, Warzycha said.
Among the targets is a higher-profile left back from the international market and a center
back.

Less than two weeks remain before preseason camp begins on Jan. 17.

“In terms of numbers, there are not a ton of defenders on the roster,” Wahl said. “I’m hoping to
come in and contribute as much as I can.”

Wahl said he played with Crew captain Chad Marshall when both were youths in southern
California. He said the veteran center back remains “someone you can build a back line around.”